Study finds planned burnoffs worsened 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, increasing wildlife deaths.

A major study on Australia's 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires shows that planned burnoffs worsened the impact, leading to higher plant and animal deaths. Analyzing 810,000 records of over 2,000 species, the study found that recent burns increased fire damage, especially among mammals, which suffered the greatest losses but also showed the largest recoveries. The research suggests that frequent planned burns may set ecosystems up for more severe impacts and calls for a reevaluation of fire management strategies, emphasizing rapid fire suppression.

November 13, 2024
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